Our Story/Centers

Our Story/Jonathan Colon

When Jonathan Colón meets with a student, he often prompts them to self reflect.

For Colón, it’s all about helping students answer the important questions that ultimately point them toward the life they desire.

A simple question, such as “Why did you decide on a four-year degree?” or sometimes, “What are your expectations from college?” may seem to have an obvious answer. However, when a student hears the question they often say, “No one has ever asked me that before” or “I haven’t really thought about that before.”

Our Story/Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center

The mission of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center is to conduct research, engage in outreach activities, and provide training and technical assistance to policy makers and communities on the prevention of problems and the promotion of positive development in children, youth, and families.

Diana H. Fishbein, director, said the center continues to contribute to the development of the next generation of prevention scientists.

Our Story/CCOR

Research centers in the College of Health and Human Development are dedicated to improving human health through innovative research. This is the story of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research (CCOR).

The mission of CCOR is to conduct interdisciplinary research that informs successful childhood obesity prevention programs, which can then be shared with public health and clinical practice professionals. Research at CCOR ranges from observational studies to randomized controlled trials, to dissemination and implementation research with community partners.

Our Story/CHCPR

The College of Health and Human Development is home to a research center that focuses on health care and how it impacts people. The Center for Health Care and Policy Research (CHCPR) helps private and public decision-makers to develop cost-effective services and programs that improve people’s health.

“CHCPR specializes in understanding how policy impacts health, and its faculty and research work to study the impact of policy on health outcomes and to understand how policy can best be shaped to maximize the health of populations and the value for dollars spent,” said Dennis Scanlon, the center's director.

Our Story/Center for Healthy Aging

Research centers in the College of Health and Human Development are dedicated to improving human health through innovative research. This is the story of the Center for Healthy Aging, which supports research, education, and outreach that promotes emotional, physical, and cognitive health in older adults and their families.

The center’s vision is to translate cutting-edge aging science into programs and products that transform old age into a long life.

Our Story/The Methodology Center

Research Centers in the College of Health and Human Development are dedicated to improving human health through innovative research. This is the story of The Methodology Center, which exists to advance public health by improving experimental design and data analysis in the social, behavioral, and health sciences.

“We are motivated by knowing that our methodological work enables scientists to explore new research areas and to produce more valid scientific findings, which represent the key to improving public health,” said Center Director Linda Collins, who became director in 1994.